title: Conditioned place preference behavior in zebrafish.
abstract: This protocol describes conditioned place preference (CPP) in zebrafish following a single exposure to a substance. In the CPP paradigm, animals show a preference for an environment that has previously been associated with a substance (drug), thus indicating the positive-reinforcing qualities of that substance. The test tank consists of two visually distinct compartments separated by a central alley. The protocol involves three steps: the determination of initial preference, one conditioning session and the determination of final preference. This procedure is carried out in ∼2 d; other reported CPP protocols take up to 2 weeks. An increase in preference for the drug-associated compartment is observed after a single exposure. Establishment of this high-throughput protocol in zebrafish makes it possible to investigate the molecular and cellular basis of choice behavior, reward and associative learning. The protocol is also a tool for testing psychoactive compounds in the context of a vertebrate brain.
authors.affiliation: Department of Bioengineering and Therapeutic Sciences, University of California, San Francisco, California, USA.
authors.forename: Priya
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Mathur
authors.forename: Billy
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Lau
authors.forename: Su
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Guo
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001921:Brain / Q000378:metabolism; D002755:Choice Behavior / Q000187:drug effects*; D003214:Conditioning, Classical / Q000187:drug effects*; D004353:Drug Evaluation, Preclinical / Q000379:methods*; D023421:Models, Animal; D012201:Reward; D013997:Time Factors; D015027:Zebrafish